HANOVER, N.H. -
With the NCAA Track & Field Championship Meet in Des Moines coming up on a
week away, Dartmouth sophomore Abbey D'Agostino (Topsfield, Mass.) is preparing
for another shot at the women's individual title in the 5,000 meters.

D'Agostino qualified for the championship meet by winning
her heat in the 5K last weekend in Jacksonville at the East Regional, hosted by
North Florida. The Big Green's second-year harrier ran a 16:15.11 to
automatically earn her place at Drake next weekend.

Dartmouth will also send senior Alexi Pappas (Alameda,
Calif.) to the Hawkeye State to compete for a national title. Pappas will run
in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Drake, an event she has dominated all year
for the Green and White.

D'Agostino finished third at the 2011 NCAA Championship meet
in the 5K, but hopes that she can do even better this time around.

Explain the feeling you had in Jacksonville, knowing that you were
headed back to Iowa?

It was so exciting! I was
definitely nervous for this one because you can have a pretty good feeling
about how the race was going to go out, but there's always a sense of
uncertainty. You have to qualify.

The temperatures were very high
too, which was something we really haven't had to deal with yet this season. It
being that hot made the conditions for us very unfamiliar as the air felt
really heavy that day.

By the end of the race, though, it
was a great feeling to be able to break away, knowing that you were going to
Nationals.

What's different this year than last year?

The
experience. There is not the nerves and anxiety that comes from the higher
expectations you have from this kind of event. I know what to expect going out
there this year. I know the routine of what I need to do, where last year I was
completely new to the whole thing. I am comfortable with all those aspects that
last year gave me that feeling of nervousness.

There is a
little bit more pressure this year, but getting to experience and go through
everything with Lex (Alexi Pappas) has made it so much more fun. It's nice to
know that you have someone there for you who is going through the same thing
you are.

In terms of motivating you, who have been the most influential
individuals from this past season?

Of course I
would have to say the team first. When it gets really hard in races, workouts
or if it's just been a bad day, I think about the team and know that we are
really all in this together and that's my first motivation.

There
aren't a lot of athletes who understand what it's like to have to focus for
three seasons. It's hard to have the mentality it takes to win for three
straight seasons of competition and when you realize that you're not the only
one going through that mental toughness in hard times it really helps. It's a
powerful feeling.

Mark Coogan has always believed in us and he is so genuinely happy to see us do
well and compete hard. His honesty with us really makes a huge difference too.

And then
there is my family. I think my parents have been at all but one meet (the Mt. Sac
Relays in California). I feel spoiled sometimes because, even though this is
new for them, they have grown to love the sport and love watching not only me,
but also the entire team compete.

Whenever I
talk to my mom on the phone I feel like half the conversation is about my
running. When I talk to other people, they ask about school and other things,
but it shows how fortunate I am to have my family so behind what I am doing
here with this team.

You've been going to meets all year long with a team, but now you will
be headed to Drake with just Lexi, is that a strange feeling and does it change
preparations in any way?

Going with just Lex definitely
changes the experience. Finishing up with finals and getting all that settled,
she has been a great source of encouragement. We work well together in terms of
keeping things in perspective, making sure we are getting our sleep and doing
all the right things.

It's nice to have someone there to
hold you accountable and have that person be someone who understands what
you're going through. We have our goals that we've been working towards and
there is always something in the future that has been guiding our lifestyle. That
guiding force is now upon us as we head out to this meet. To have her be there,
going through that with me, has been incredible.

There are many people who have you slated finishing very high at this
meet, but what are your expectations for yourself?

I just want
to know that I finished with nothing left.
Last year, the strategy was just to stay at the front and see what I
could do. I was up there, navigating that new territory and wasn't really
focusing on my own toughness when I knew it was going to be a hard race.

Now, it's no longer seeing what I
can do. I know what I am capable of and it's just the process of acting on it
to make sure that I follow through on everything we've worked on.

I want to be the last one to kick
it into gear and that should put me in a good place to be successful.

NOTE: The NCAA
Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championship will take place at Drake
Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, June 6-9. Please check back in the coming days for
a complete listing of events.